


Sports on Mars

by Haaska



Category: The Technomancer (Video Game)
Genre: A whole bunch of Rogues, Explicit Language, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 02:56:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haaska/pseuds/Haaska
Summary: Continuation of this fic:https://archiveofourown.org/works/17692004Quick introduction for anyone interested in the rules Jugger: (the game itself is not included in the fic, so you can skip this part)Two teams, 5 folks each.Each member has a “Quick” player who carries no weapons.Four players(Enforcers) do have weapons.Each team has:1 player with a chain and3 players with other weapons (not sure about other countries, but here it's usually: 1 player with sword and shield/long sword, 1 player with a long staff(qtip), 1 player with two swords).A drum beats during the whole match, one beat per second.Instead of a ball, there is a dog skull (hound skull in this scenario).Only the Quick can touch the skull, set in the middle of the field.The goal is to put the skull into the goal of the opposite team.Enforcers fight against each other and try to stop the enemy Quick.If the Enforcer touches you with their weapon, you have to wait five drumbeats before getting up. Enforcer can pin you as well (gently press you with their weapon), and you can’t get up unless they let you go (plus 5 drumbeats).All the weapons are safe (foam blades, light chains), but of course that would not work on harsh Mars, so let’s assume they use dull weapons.I guess that's it!





	Sports on Mars

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of this fic:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/17692004
> 
> Quick introduction for anyone interested in the rules Jugger: (the game itself is not included in the fic, so you can skip this part)
> 
> Two teams, 5 folks each.
> 
> Each member has a “Quick” player who carries no weapons.
> 
> Four players(Enforcers) do have weapons.
> 
> Each team has:
> 
> 1 player with a chain and
> 
> 3 players with other weapons (not sure about other countries, but here it's usually: 1 player with sword and shield/long sword, 1 player with a long staff(qtip), 1 player with two swords).
> 
> A drum beats during the whole match, one beat per second.
> 
> Instead of a ball, there is a dog skull (hound skull in this scenario).
> 
> Only the Quick can touch the skull, set in the middle of the field.
> 
> The goal is to put the skull into the goal of the opposite team.
> 
> Enforcers fight against each other and try to stop the enemy Quick.
> 
> If the Enforcer touches you with their weapon, you have to wait five drumbeats before getting up. Enforcer can pin you as well (gently press you with their weapon), and you can’t get up unless they let you go (plus 5 drumbeats).
> 
> All the weapons are safe (foam blades, light chains), but of course that would not work on harsh Mars, so let’s assume they use dull weapons.
> 
> I guess that's it!

 

“Come on, ten minutes left, take your gear and let's go!” Alex shouted and lifted a crate filled with training weapons. Mokosz ***** grabbed their long staff, Skinny - a chain. The last one, besides Pinky himself who preferred a sword and a shield was Žaltys with his two dull swords.

“Hey, what's that on your wrists?” Alex nodded towards his hands reaching to the crate.

“Oh, that?” Žaltys lifted his hand and rubbed the red circle of damaged skin  “Haven't you heard? We had some fun with Ezrah yesterday. He handcuffed me and showed me his butt.” He flashed his teeth in a grin. “I could look but not touch.” He added in a confidential tone.

“Eww, gross.” Pinky groaned and made a disgusted noise.

“Wasn’t that bad.” Žal wiggled his eyebrows and barely avoided Alex’ shoe, aiming at his butt.

“You haven’t seen it if you call it _not bad_.” Alex replied and dropped the crate. Time to put his Team Leader Face on. “Allright, guys, get ready. We go in five! And where the hell is Ezrah?”

Mokosz jumped a few times, swinged their staff with grace and gently pushed Žaltys with one end.

“Keep it cool today, eh?”

“Me? I always keep it cool.”

Mokosz let out a noise that technically could be described as a laughter, but probably shouldn't. “Like that one time you got kicked out for throwing the skull at the judge?”

“He deserved it.”

“I swear you and your swords have something in common.”

Žal rested his swords on both of his shoulders and shifted his weight. “Let me guess. Fast, efficient, elegant, admired by many?”

“Dull and overrated.”

Mokosz rolled their eyes at the sight of Žaltys showing his tongue, when Ezrah trotted closer. He rested his hands on his knees and took a few breaths. “Did I miss something?”

“Yeah, your butt.”

“Very funny, Mokosz. Very funny. You figured that out yourself?

“No, but really, Žal was actually talking about your butt.”

Ezrah glanced at the man suspiciously and crossed his arms on his chest. “Okay, what did he told you, guys?”

“That you tied him and forced him to look at your ass.”

Ezrah threw his hands and whined. “That was only a picture! Wait, two pictures, one was not even mine. And I…” He stopped and scratched his chin. “...do admit I handcuffed him. But it wasn’t like that.”

Skinny joined them and laughed; her melodic voice drawed all the eyes to her. “Anton should learn from you, dear. This is a new level of psychological torture.”

“Even you, Skinny? Look what you’ve done, guys. You’ve corrupted an innocent soul and now she’s against me. Great job.”

Ezrah pointed a finger at Žaltys. “And you! You're all talk but no action, Žal.”

“You have no way to prove it.”

“Yeah?” Ezrah looked like he was about to drop a response of the century, but was interrupted by a loud drumbeat coming from the arena. Mokosz pushed the door of the backstage and whistled.

“Ho-ley-shiet.” they grabbed Pinky’s arm, pulled him closer and pointed at the other part of the arena. “You see these fuckers, boss?”

“Wow, that's just low.”

“What?” Ezrah pushed himself between the two and Žal followed, nearly jumping on Ezrah’ back to have a better look. His eyes went wide and he laughed maniacally.

“Oh, it is on.”

The rival team marched into the arena. The banner they were carrying presented a blue leviathan, wrapped around a giant mantis.

Mokosz tighten their grip on the staff and huffed.“That’s our fucking mantis!”

 

* * *

 

 

Both teams stood by their goals, waiting for the official opening. According to the custom, a leader of the team with the best score of the season would be the one bounded to give a small speech. Which would normally mean Alex.

All of the eyes were turned to the Mantis team with expectation. There was a rustle in their group - and a few pairs of hands tried to grab Žal, a few of team members barked something at him, but he somehow snaked his way out and walked to the center of the arena gracefully.

The crowd fell silent. Žaltys cleared his throat and spread his arms wide, presenting colors of their team visible on his impressive armor, contrasting so well with his dark skin - deep blue metal plates with golden ornaments, and a golden mantis on a back. Definitely an expensive gear. One only Anton could afford.

“May I greet you all, friends, from the very bottom of my heart.” His hoarse voice was carried loud and far though the whole arena. He took a dramatic pause, looking every and each of the rival team's member in the eyes before he continued.

“No, that's not enough.” he shook his head dramatically and faced their rivals, his arms still open.

“As a descendant of the first settlers who had always honored the sacred tradition of welcoming their guests exactly the way they deserved, let me greet you, the way my forefathers would greet you, with following words.

“Oh no.” Pinky murmured.

"Kad jus šikančius sutrauktų" *****. And may win those who deserve it.”

Ezrah snorted loudly, and then whimpered when Alex kicked his shin.

“Let’s begin!”

 

* * *

  


They failed miserably.

They realized they had no chance against the Leviathans during the first half of the match, and the rest was just a formality.

Leviathans were about to exit the arena, but suddenly stopped, hearing a provocative yell.

“Come back here and face me! I am not afraid of you!” Žaltys screamed at his rivals at the top of his lungs and tried to break away of a steel grip of his own team members, dragging him away to a safe distance. “Cowards!”

Three pairs of hands successfully pulled him inside of the backstage. The second they all disappeared from the crowd’s sight, Žal stopped squirming and relaxed. He waited until everyone let him go, stood straight and patted his clothes from the dust, ignoring surprised and pissed looks.

*That went well.” He said cheerfully and let out a pleased “oh” when he spotted Ezrah, joining them.

Pinky knitted his eyebrows and folded his hands on his chest. “What are you talking about? That was the worst match we had in weeks.”

“Oh, yeah. No argue about that. The match was terrible. I'm not talking about it though. Ez?”

Ezrah grinned, nodded and unzipped the front of his armor.  
“Please, don’t.” Mokosz murmured.

Ez ignored them and reached his hand under his armor. “Thanks to combined forces of your two best team members whom you all adore so greatly…” taking his sweet time, he pulled out a thick piece of yellow folded fabric from under his jacket. “...and thanks to my legendary quickness and Žal’s... weirdly effective way of creating distractions… May I present you…” he grabbed two sides of the fabric and unrolled it. “Tada!”

The banner of the Leviathans looked less impressive upclose than it did from the distance. The whole team stood still, inspecting the painting intensely. “What?” asked Ez and peeked from behind the fabric. “No applause?”

“Wait, is that even a mantis?” Alex squinted his eyes and pulled at the banner to take a better look. After a few seconds he dropped the fabric and laughed. “Okay, guys, you did a great job, starting a war over a regular banner.”

Mokosz bent in half and howled with laughter. As opposed to Ezrah, who looked like a kicked hound puppy.

“Hey, at least we did _something_ well!” Žal protested and picked up the embodiment of their failure. He glanced at Ez(who was so caught up in his own misery he didn’t seem to registered a mocking pats on his back) and approached him.

“Here, take this. You deserve it.” Žal grabbed two corners of the banner and put it on Ezrah’s back like a cape. He took step back and looked at him critically, wrinkling his nose. “Welp, I was wrong. Yellow does not match you at all. You look like a frog.”

“Thanks. I’m already better.” Ezrah smiled and pulled the sides of the cape, wrapping it closer around him. “And I still look better than you.”

“That you do.” Žaltys patted his arm and walked away, trying to ignore the flip his heart just did.

 

 

* * *

 

*Mokosz - read as “Mokosh”

*”Kad tave šikantį sutrauktų” - which in Lithuanian means, more or less, ”I wish your insides would dry up while you’re taking a shit”. This is honestly the best sentence I’ve ever heard. Thank you [stunt_pilots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stunt_pilots/pseuds/stunt_pilots) for spoiling me with such beauties.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Alex|Pinky is [Salmaka's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmaka/pseuds/Salmaka) OC. Thank you for letting me include him!
> 
> Ezrah is a collective OC created by our Technomancer Discord group. 
> 
> Žaltys, Mokosz, and Skinny are my own OCs.
> 
> Hugs and kisses for our Tech group! <3 
> 
> Big thanks to [stunt_pilots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stunt_pilots/pseuds/stunt_pilots) for support and the best Lithuanian swear words.


End file.
